Google: Keep Redirects Indefinitely But One Can Remove Them After Google Indexes

Last September we reported that Google says it is best to keep redirects live for a year or so and even better, keep the redirects live for as long as you possible can. Gary Illyes from Google said this morning on Twitter that you can remove the redirects "if the new page is already indexed." He did add after that "best practice is to keep the redirects indefinitely, but that's not always...

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Is Flipkart turning into the perfect example of what a tech startup must not do?

Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal recently made it to Time magazine’s “100 most influential” list. The timing of this recognition could not have been more ironic, though. Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce major founded in 2007 by the two friends, is going through what may be its roughest patch yet. In the last few months, Flipkart has been in the news for...

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Key Factors to Consider while Conducting Performance Testing for E-Commerce Applications

Key Factors to Consider When Conducting Performance Testing E-Commerce Applications It’s always been a difficult task for online retailers to estimate the number of visitors their website would attract at any given time. There are many cases in e-commerce where a website experienced an unprecedented barrage of traffic and as a result wasn’t able to handle the volume. It eventually led to the brand’s reputation biting the dust, and the visitors were frustrated. Every time an E-commerce...

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Google: You Can Be Negatively Impacted By One Algorithm & Positively Impacted By Another

So let's say your site was hit by Google Penguin 3.0 almost 18 months ago and you feel you are doomed. John Mueller of Google said yes, while Penguin may have hurt you badly, Google has other algorithms and signals that you can work on to improve your rankings. He said "luckily we have lots and lots of signals that we use for rankings. So it is not the case that your site is infinitely stuck there until the algorithm updates, there is always room for change." This is not new,...

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The Reason Why Corporate Innovation Is So Hard

Innovation is a paradox for all of us. On the one hand you are well aware that you have to take new roads before you reach the end of the present dead end street. On the other hand it is incredibly risky. It takes a lot of time. And it takes a lot of resources. Research shows that only one out of seven innovation projects gets launched and is successful. So saying yes to innovation is a step...

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Big data, marketing and decision-making – what is it all about?

Last week I got asked if I know about big data and how you use it in digital marketing. Yes, of course, I do. I’ve been using big data for years when analysing numbers from websites and social media. I’ve also been fortunate to speak at many conferences where some of the speakers are fully trained ‘big data ninjas’, and I’m lucky to know some of them personally. Big data is complex information, and it feels as overwhelming as a huge waterfall. It’s only if you present big data...

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All New Ideas are Combinations of Old Ideas

“All new ideas are combinations of old ideas, but not all idea combinations are created equal,” wrote Frans Johannsen. Mick Pearson designed the Eastgate office building in Harare, Zimbabwe based on techniques he observed termites employ to stabilize the internal temperature of their nests. Remarkably, the Eastgate maintains an ambient temperature between 73-78°F despite variances in external temperatures from 58° to 88°. Johannsen argues in his book that most innovation comes...

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Google Issues Mass Unnatural Outbound Links Penalties Over Weekend

Google has issued a large number of unnatural links penalties over the weekend, specifically around outbound links. The warning read "Unnatural outbound links from domaingoes here violate Google Webmaster Guidelines." Here is a picture of one of the notices a webmaster posted: This notice means that your web site is linking outwards to other web sites in a way that Google...

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India's Audacious Plan to Bring Digital Banking to 1.2 Billion People

A biometrics-backed ID system will make it easier for everyone—from rural villagers to urban dwellers—to ditch cash. India is trying to yank its cash-based economy into the 21st century. But how do you get 1.2 billion people, many of whom have never seen a bank or opened an account, to send digital payments to each other?  The government's answer is...

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What To Do When Someone Asks You To Work For Free

When close friends have career conundrums, I’m quick to ask more questions. Like a good friend should be, I’m eager to help. But other times, I’ll get messages from people who I barely know or haven’t spoken to in years. The most astonishing are the ones from people I’ve just met or, in fact, have never met. They usually start with some polite greeting, move into a “realization” that I’m...

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Where Entrepreneurs Succeeded Because Government Failed

This may come as a surprise to many but the government (both central and state authorities) has helped entrepreneurs in India in an unexpected manner – by failing in some functions, which it is expected to perform by default. I have been analyzing the start-up ecosystem in India for some time now and have come across many entrepreneurs who succeeded just because the government failed to provide...

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Pause And Rethink – Pivot Your Startup

Groupon, the most popular deals site, was launched in November 2008. Starting with a $1 million seed funding, it quickly reached a billion dollar valuation. But, the company did not start as we see it today. It started as a campaign website called “The Point” (http://www.thepoint.com/). The Point lets one start a campaign asking people to give money or do something together, but only...

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X For Y: Try This Business Formula To Start Up

  Ever heard of an OKCupid for dogs? Or a Linked In for pets? Surprised? Don’t be, because I have heard about a start-up pitching itself as the Linked In for pets. There have been many successful start-ups that started as X for Y and then evolved their business model as they grew. I am not a strong supporter of entrepreneurs pitching their ventures as X for Y as it kills the...

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Mobile virtual network operators: A win-win model for telcos and consumers

Efficient use of telcom infrastructure bodes well for companies and consumers alike.Telecom services providers are able to use the network effectively and efficiently while consumers get better services and often lower cost services. No one will argue against such a plan that is win-win for all stakeholders. About a year back the Telecom regulatory Authority of India recommended allowing Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) to enter through a licensing framework. And this week...

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The 2 X Business Growth Jigsaw – How Many P’s? 10 And Counting…

Having been brought up over much of our corporate careers on a diet of aggressive growth, breakthrough approaches, innovative ways of market creation or changing the rules of the game and striving for market leadership with a no excuses strategy and a data and analytics driven decision making approach it became over time a part of the DNA. This has not only became a natural...

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Why The 7-Eleven CEO's Resignation Is the Most Awesome Ever

If only American CEOs quit this way. U.S. CEOs could learn a thing or two about taking responsibility and expressing humility from Toshifumi Suzuki, the 83-year-old Japanese convenience store mogul. Suzuki, whose Seven & i Holdings is the parent company of the 7-Eleven chain, announced he was resigning as CEO on Thursday after losing a boardroom battle with hedge fund manager Dan Loeb. But Suzuki was far from a...

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Rehashing The Profession: What Ought to Associations Do?

A standout amongst the most troublesome changes we've found in business throughout the most recent decade is the end of the customary "vocation." Individuals used to join organizations forever: we would search for an incredible organization when we escaped school, join the new-procure advancement program, pay our duty working up the positions, and anticipate a decent retirement program 30 after 40 years. Today, the normal laborer stays at their employment for a long time, as per the Agency...

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